The latest issue of Education Update from ASCD has the above titled article as a feature. It takes somewhat of a different tact in that it presents blogs as a teacher support tool, which, of course, it can be.
Blogs, or Web logs, are increasingly popular among teachers seeking support and advice on managing their classrooms more effectively. Topics discussed in blogs range from perspectives on education policy and curriculum issues to effective classroom management tips and personal survival strategies.
Here’s the shocker, though…at least to me:
Of the 10 million to 15 million people who blog daily, technical experts estimate that only a few hundred thousand are educators. “Most [of them] are younger teachers coming out of teacher-ed programs,” says Nussbaum-Beach. “They’re the ones who are comfortable with virtual-type tools.”
A few hundred thousand edu-bloggers!?! OMG! My 150 (now 167) feed limit is about to get blown out of the water…
No disrespect, but there’s no way there are that many teachers out there “blogging daily.” I’m guessing a thousand, maybe, and that’s given a lot of leash to the “daily” part. Using blogs? Maybe four or five times that many. It’s hard to tell.
But if we get to the day that a few hundred thousand educators are blogging daily, I will GUARANTEE you schools as we know them will be long, long gone.